Archive for July, 2013

The impact of viral videos as a social marketing strategy cannot be denied, with this being the quickest way to have millions of viewers visiting your website and social pages. No wonder, most businesses are employing an entire team to work on the creation viral videos. So how exactly do you make your video go from being just another video on the web, to a viral one, that people want to watch, re-watch, and share? Here’s a look at the common thread that runs through videos that go viral, and expert tips on how to create such videos:

Keep it short and simple: Research shows that most viewers lose interest in a video within the first 60 seconds of watching it. Unless absolutely necessary, keep your videos short and crisp, and make sure that the point of the video is obvious in the first few seconds of watching it. This increases the chances of the video getting shared, and hence going viral.

Create a brand persona and stick to it: When creating a viral video for your brand, it is important to ensure consistency in the brand image that is depicted through your video. This could be through the use of a mascot, a comedian, a central-running theme, or anything else that you would like to be associated as a parallel to your brand.

Unbelievable content: Creating a video that ends up with users asking “was that real?” is a no-fail strategy. Not only does this make the users want to click on the replay button, but it also makes them want to share the video and spread word of it in their social circle. This could be achieved through the use of illusion, or simply by parodying a theme that can be linked to your brand.

Funny videos: Being able to make your viewers laugh through your videos is a surefire way to make the video go viral. Right from baby conversations to talking animals, we’ve seen it all, and we all know that nothing works like laughter does! If your video really is funny, you could get away with blatant promotion by connecting the theme of the video with your brand.

User-generated videos: Offering users to create videos and upload them on your website as a part of an online contest, can work wonders, if done correctly. Users are likely to put in a high amount of creativity out of the pride factor involved in having their video selected.

We at Centex Technologies provide Video Optimization services for businesses to generate brand awareness. We work to create viral video campaigns to make sure it reach out to masses. For more information, call us at – (855) 375-9654

Congestion in a data network has a direct impact upon speed, significantly slowing down the performance of each system in the network. A congested network has a high rate of latency, which is the term used to describe how long the data takes to traverse the network segment. This is especially undesirable in applications that are time-sensitive, where even short lags in the network speed can have a high impact on performance and end-user satisfaction. Here are some tips on how to reduce network congestion:

The first step is to analyze the trend followed by network congestion, with the help of network monitoring tools, which shall better help in effective troubleshooting. You need to know when the congestion is at its peak. For instance, this could be at the beginning of the day. It is also important to take note of when the congestion began- was it caused by an increase in the number of employees or other reasons? This data can help to pinpoint the most effective solution to reduce network congestion.

Another important consideration is in which segment of the network the major congestion occurs.. You could also consider increasing the bandwidth capacity of the affected segment.

If a small cluster of IP addresses is sending a large number of packets, this could be the underlying cause of network congestion. In this case, you might need to replace the malfunctioning network card, or turn off the service in the application that is responsible for generating these packets.

It helps to reduce the number of protocols being used in the network, and reduce the use of broadcast protocols. Using proper tuning techniques for the TCP/IP protocol can help to boost performance by up to 5 times.

Prioritizing the network traffic that you need can help to increase the performance of the data network. You can do this by enabling the QoS (Quality of Service) feature that is a part of typical small business networking nodes. In case of medium businesses, this can be achieved by reprogramming the network nodes like switches and routers, so that they give higher priority to the desired traffic.

Identifying the right solution for congestion in your network is a long process, that might require a significant amount of hit and trial, before you can choose the right approach to boost your network’s performance.

Public Wi-Fi hotspots are trendy and popular, for the obvious convenience that they offer. No wonder most restraints, cafes, hotels, and other public places are jumping on the bandwagon and allowing visitors to freely access their Wi-Fi networks without needing a password. Despite how tempting it is to simply go ahead and connect to these networks, you need to be prudent while doing so, as you could unknowingly put your computer at a risk of getting hacked.

The following tips guide you on how to use unsecured Wi-Fi hotspots smartly, while keeping your computer protected:

Remember that Wi-Fi hotspots are always unsecured connections, even if they require a password to access them. This means that hackers can easily access your private information if you are not careful.

Some operating systems like Mac OS X and Windows have built-in security features that can protect your computer when you are accessing the internet through such a connection. Make use of your “Firewall” by checking the “block all incoming traffic” option. Another effective security measure is to disable fire sharing.

One of the most targeted personal information is passwords. Installing a browser add-on like LastPass could be effective in keeping your passwords safe. Normally, a hacker can easily view your passwords by accessing your Registry or viewing your keyboard activity through something like keyloggers. LastPass stores all your passwords in a cloud which means that neither do you have to type your passwords, nor will they be stored in your computer.

Websites that encrypt your activity are usually safe to use, since all the information accessed on these sites remains confidential. You can identify such websites either by looking for a padlock in the address bar, or checking the URL for https:// Even if a website does not have HTTPS, you can download an add-on like HTTPS Everywhere, which will convert the connection on most popular websites into an encrypted one.

Before accessing any public Wi-Fi network, you want to confirm from the owner of the venue that you have the correct name of the network. This is because hackers can create their own fake network with a similar name to the original, putting your information at a high risk.

Finally, even after taking all the above-mentioned measures, you still need to exercise some common sense while using an unsecured Wi-Fi network. Avoid activities that expose your private details, such as banking and online shopping.

Centex Technologies based in Dallas and Killeen TX provide Computer Network Security solutions. Call us at (855) 375-9654 for more information.

As anyone involved in online marketing would know, referral marketing is emerging as a key component of the online marketing strategies of businesses, laying emphasis on the need for effectively engaging one’s customers. Contrary to what one might think, this engagement marketing is not merely about having lofty feel-good conversations with customers on your Facebook page or blog comments, but is actually about the depth and value of this communication. The following tips highlight some effective ways to engage your customers and generate visible results for your business-

Work on the customer experience- When your customers call your business, your aim should be to go to every possible length to ensure that the experience is a pleasant one and they would be encouraged to call again if the need be. Right from having a well-trained crew of customer representatives to having a reliable phone system in place, the little things in this respect can make a significant difference.

Keep the communication going– Once you have the contact information of an existing or potential customer, it is your role as a business owner to make a continuous effort to keep communicating with them. However, as you do so, it is important to remember that subtlety and moderation are the keys. Even if your customers do not read the emails you send them, just seeing your name constantly in their inboxes is enough to make them think of you the next time they need a similar service. Giving out free samples and reward gifts to customers via these emails is a great way to make them look forward for more.

Make the most of social media– Social media is a wondrous tool for business owners looking for ways to engage their customers. With the multiple social networking channels available, the opportunities that can be explored in this regard are endless. You need to understand that each of these social media sites is different, and you have to establish a unique campaign for whichever site you are a part of. Keep offering your customers new and refreshing content in the form of blogs, info-graphics, surveys, polls, giveaways, etc. Your aim should be to be relentlessly innovative and persistent in your efforts.

With all the above-mentioned tips, it is important to keep a tab on the effect of these efforts on your customers, and having a clear picture of what’s working and what isn’t for your business.

We at Centex Technologies provide SEO, Social Media Marketing services to its customers across Texas. For more information, call us at – (855) 375-9654

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Abdul Subhani

I am the President & CEO of
Centex Technologies Microsoft Small Business Specialist, Certified E-Commerce Consultant, Certified Ethical Hacker, Certified Fraud Examiner, Virtual Instructor and an IT Consultant/Speaker on IT Security, Networking, Small Business Architect, & SEO Internet Marketing.

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